(CNN) – An endorsement from Sarah Palin has shown to be a surefire way to drum up excitement, make national headlines, and fuel campaign fundraising.

But when it comes to influencing voters in a general election, does a nod from the former Republican vice presidential nominee hurt more than it helps?

According to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, and first noted by the Washington Post, 52 percent of adults would respond in a negative manner if they knew Palin endorsed a candidate they were considering voting for.

Specifically, 15 percent of those surveyed said they would "have some reservations" about a candidate whom Palin backed while 37 percent responded they would be "very uncomfortable" if the Alaska governor had lent her support. Only 25 percent said they would react positively toward a candidate carrying Palin's stamp of approval. The survey, conducted on June 17-21, interviewed 1000 adults and carries a sampling error of plus or minus three percent.

But an endorsement from Palin has proven to pay dividends in Republican primaries this year. Nearly every candidate the former Alaska governor has backed has gone on to win their contest. Most recently, Palin went three for three in statewide contests held June 8.

The former Alaska governor is specifically credited with helping state lawmaker Nikki Haley, once considered a long shot, win the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial race. Palin recorded an automated phone call urging Republicans in South Carolina to vote for Haley and was featured in one of the candidate's television ads.

The NBC News/Wall Street survey only underlies what previous polling has suggested: Palin is an undisputable force within her own party while remaining a divisive figure amongst the rest of the electorate.

A CNN poll conducted in April showed 54 percent of adults don't agree with Palin on the issues, 56 percent say she is not a strong and decisive leader, and 69 percent say she is not qualified to be president. Palin is popular in the South and in rural areas, but her unfavorable rating is at or near 60 percent among women, suburbanites, independents, and in the Northeast and West, according the April poll.

soundoff(178 Responses)

Why has it taken two years to figure this out. Only the dumb redneck RepubliKlans still think she is a wonder whiz kid. The rest of the world knows she really can't see Russia from her porch.

June 24, 2010 05:02 pm at 5:02 pm |

Dave

Huh... just maybe the public is wising up to this idiot con-woman. I guarantee you that I'll never vote for anyone Sarah Palin likes, because she seems to hate everything good and love everything bad. An endorsement from her is more like a condemnation, if you're a thinking voter.

June 24, 2010 05:03 pm at 5:03 pm |

Yair

Well, that explains the extreme success of candidates endorsed by her!!! And, liberals should be happy and let her alone!

June 24, 2010 05:03 pm at 5:03 pm |

Randolph Carter, I'm no expert, but...

Real journalists wouldn't be covering drivel like this. They'd be writing stories about the growing labor unrest in China or the fact that the US healthcare system came in dead last in a new international study. But I guess anything that makes capitalism look bad is off limits, huh? Oh well, what's Octomom up to these days? Have a nice day!

June 24, 2010 05:03 pm at 5:03 pm |

dennisbeck

The headline on this article should read: "Poll Results Show Polls Are Useless – Palin GOP Endorsements 3 for 3"

June 24, 2010 05:04 pm at 5:04 pm |

Rickster

OK, so what are the results of her endorsements? How many of the candidates that she has publicly backed have won? One would think that would be a vital and measurable part of this story but, alas, CNN has chosen to omit that so I'm guessing that most of the candidates that she has backed have won.
On the other hand, each time the Doofus-In-Chief has endorsed someone, they have lost.

June 24, 2010 05:04 pm at 5:04 pm |

Nick

I can't fathom why ANYONE would believe this absurdity of a human being has any qualification whatsoever to run a city, state or federal government.

I'm still waiting for someone to pop-up and say "it was a joke!"

June 24, 2010 05:05 pm at 5:05 pm |

ross berg

What's mosr fascinating of all the numbers in recent polls is that Palins net negative numbers amongst independents have continued to grow even though there hasn't been a recent Katie Couric type disaster.

Her chances of ever again being a candidate on a national or even a state ticket are as close to zero as you can get!!

If I were a candidate I'd behind the scenes politely ask her to forget I'm running!!

June 24, 2010 05:05 pm at 5:05 pm |

PJ

Hey, if you like racist paranoid freaks who support BP and child abuse, they HEY! Sarah's th' gal fer you, Billy Bo Bob...

June 24, 2010 05:05 pm at 5:05 pm |

A keen observer

Why would Palin's recommendation mean anything to anybody. Her main talents lie in making babies.

June 24, 2010 05:05 pm at 5:05 pm |

MAhole

Ahhhhh – so the truth finally comes out about the "disasta from Alaska"
– the gift that will just keep on giving.

Keep it up Silly Sarah – so us "little people" can take OUR country back from the likes of you and your GOP corporate puppet buddies.

June 24, 2010 05:06 pm at 5:06 pm |

Rang Tran

Yes, I will not vote for candidate who was endosement by Palin.

June 24, 2010 05:07 pm at 5:07 pm |

Ray

McCain picked you. We didn't!! ...and WE WON'T!!!!!

June 24, 2010 05:09 pm at 5:09 pm |

PubcrawlerNW

People who think the earth is flat, first meet their spouses at family reunions and argue that our Creator placed fossils in the ground to test our faith are in that minority that think that a Palin endorsement reflects positively on the endorsed candidate.

June 24, 2010 05:09 pm at 5:09 pm |

connie for caps

Palen, getting so much support from republicans is a good thing for democrats this fall. But- where are all the previous supporters of the dnc? There is no way that democrats can keep or gain seats in the house this fall, unless, these same people decide to get up off their comfy cotts and get as fired-up as the tea-party crowd. We, who support the democrat's party and our president, cannot afford to sit idly by, while the conservative party is fired up and getting their agenda out and gaining momentum. Don't they know that Obama will become a lame duck unless we get enthused and –quick?

June 24, 2010 05:10 pm at 5:10 pm |

king

How anyone in America can take Sarah Palin seriously is beyond me. It just proves how poorly educated Americans are and what a shambles our educational system has become.

June 24, 2010 05:10 pm at 5:10 pm |

Brian L

"her unfavorable rating is at or near 60 percent among women, suburbanites, independents, and in the Northeast and West, according the April poll."

In Republican math that means she is unanimously accepted among women, suburbanites, independents, and in the Northeast and West.

June 24, 2010 05:10 pm at 5:10 pm |

John

I am a republican and since Sarah Palin revealed that she smoked marijuana and said it is ok if done in the privacy of home I will never vote for her for anything. She is part of the drug society that endorses a behavior that has killed millions of people over the past decades. Shame on Ms. Palin.

June 24, 2010 05:11 pm at 5:11 pm |

Marlon

The only word that comes to mind when I hear "Sarah Palin" is idiot. I can only stand hearing her talk for approximately 120 seconds before my ears start to hurt.

June 24, 2010 05:12 pm at 5:12 pm |

sheppard

any day with a 'palin' in it is bad news...

June 24, 2010 05:12 pm at 5:12 pm |

JF

Gee ...that took long enough!

June 24, 2010 05:12 pm at 5:12 pm |

Ron Reagan

I don't believe anything that comes out this airhead's mouth. If she said the sky was blue, I would not believe her. Thank you, John McCain, for unleashing this stupid, ignorant, mindless p.o.s. on us. If you hadn't picked her to be your running mate, we wouldn't even know her name.

June 24, 2010 05:12 pm at 5:12 pm |

macguysesa

That's because she is an IDIOT!!!!!!

June 24, 2010 05:13 pm at 5:13 pm |

Laguna

Thank God there are still enough smart people in this country who can make good decisions by themselves based on the facts.

June 24, 2010 05:13 pm at 5:13 pm |

macguysesa

Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Anne Coulter, etc.. all in the same dumpy league!